Reta trial: liver probs?

FiberLean

FiberLean

Active member
So, I saw a post from someone participating in the retatrutide phase 3 trials. Apparently, his recent blood tests came back with some abnormalities. He mentioned he's on the 12mg dosage. Everyone's hoping it's not because of the reta itself.
 
Could this be why the company isn't really hyping up Reta in their investor announcements? It makes you wonder if they're seeing similar issues in the trials.
 
I'm honestly hoping it's not the Retatrutide. I feel like if it was, we would have noticed it back in phase 2. But maybe I'm just in denial 'cause I want it to be amazing.
 
Oh no. I'm actually at the liver doc's office now because my liver enzymes are way higher than when I started. They're saying it's not from fatty liver, which I don't even have.
 
I've been using reta for over a year now. I need bloodwork every three months since I have an autoimmune thing and take a drug that can mess with my liver. So far, nothing's changed since I started reta. Just my own experience, of course.
 
Losing weight super fast can cause liver issues because it releases a ton of fat into the liver, which can lead to NASH and even liver failure in some cases. Gradual weight loss is better, especially if you have fatty liver. Aim for no more than 3.5 lbs a week.

We have to remember that both obesity and rapid weight loss are health risks. We don't know how long this person was on reta or how much weight they've lost. Jumping to blame the drug is a bit early.
 
Okay, dumb question time. Do the scientists who make these meds ever tweak the formula based on trial results? Or is it set in stone the whole time?
 
I think the drug is a single molecule, so they can't really change *that*. Maybe they could adjust the dosage or how it's given. But I could be wrong.
 
If they change the drug's formula at all, I think they have to start the trials all over again because it's technically a new drug.
 
It's possible that reta can cause rare liver issues and still be a generally safe and effective drug. Almost all medications have some kind of risk.

Details are important. We'll eventually get the complete picture. Fingers crossed!
 
Here are my results from July 7:

The other tests from July 7 were normal, including bilirubin, which was out of range on August 7.

Since I'm on atorvastatin (Lipitor), an ALT reading up to three times normal isn't a huge deal. But mine is higher than that.

Here are my results from August 7:

The August 7 results are a bit better.

The doctor suggested I stop retatrutide but thinks the atorvastatin (Lipitor) is more likely to blame. He said to keep taking tirzepatide since it's probably not the cause. The cardiologist lowered my atorvastatin dosage. I'm planning another blood test for September 2. If the ALT & AST are no more than 3x normal, I'll keep taking retatrutide. I think the elevated enzymes are from rapid liver defattening. Retatrutide might cause faster defattening than tirzepatide because it usually removes more liver fat. I didn't have fatty liver a month ago, but the doctor suspected I did before.

If I stop retatrutide, my weight loss will probably stall, and I'll likely gain 10-20 pounds. The tirzepatide dose I can handle isn't strong enough. I want to lose 12 more pounds to hit a BMI of 23.5.

I'm worried that I'm making excuses to ignore a specialist's advice.
 
I've seen a few people on Reddit say they had to quit the trials because of high liver enzymes. Mine have been creeping up, too. ChatGPT said it's probably liver stress from reta reducing liver fat, which can be temporary. My ALT was 33 before starting, now it's almost 100. I'll stop if it hits 150, so I'm checking every week. A full-body MRI last year showed I had a lot of liver fat, so that makes sense. I also haven't lost a lot of weight, so it's not from massive fat loss.

Also, liver enzymes show current stress, not past stress. Just because your liver numbers are good doesn't mean you never had fatty liver. The only way to know for sure is an MRI, ultrasound, or fibroscan. My liver enzymes were normal before the MRI; that's how I found out I had fatty liver.

What's also concerning is my fasting insulin. It dropped from 10 to 7 to 3.6 on Tirz. After switching to Reta, it's jumped to as high as 35, but it's currently around 25. Don't know if that's temporary, but it's new and weird.
 
Hopefully, it's temporary, and you won't need the statin soon since the GLP1s will handle your triglycerides and cholesterol. Guys who use steroids see liver values go up too, then they come down after stopping for a month and a half.
 
There's no guarantee you'll gain weight back without the reta, just like there's no guarantee you'll keep losing weight. But your liver is too important to risk. It's your choice. And drink lots of water to help your liver.
 
I also had high ALT and AST while on Reta and Cymbalta. I stopped both, and three months later, my levels were normal. I restarted Reta, and the levels stayed normal.

Common causes can also be Tylenol, other meds, high stress, hard exercise, or lack of sleep.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547852/

Generally, remove as many potential causes as you can and, with your doctor's okay, wait until you're back to normal. Then, slowly reintroduce other meds or supplements.
 
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